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Friday, October 19, 2012

We have been spending a lot of time in our playroom since finishing it up. A lot. It is where we play, build, read, watch movies, play games, have a Wii Just Dance competition and even do a little coloring.

And yes, I am going to say, although there will always be minor tweaks and updates, that we are pretty much finished with one of our favorite rooms in the house. I also figured it was about time I got my rear in gear and shared the after pics and update the home tour with some of the recent updates... And also share some more of the reasons why we designed the playroom the way we did and why we are so happy with it!

I actually dug deep in my archives to find this really old photo of how the room once was when the lower level was first finished.

The changes to the room did not happen over night. It has been a bit of a journey, but I think that is why we love it so much.

As you can see, the original purpose of this nook in our home was an office/game room. But after the lower level flood, we pulled all the carpet and re-evaluated how we wanted to use the space going forward. The playroom was moved to this space due to it's size and to allow the kids to make large cities and train track builds.

Since we lost some furniture in the flood, the room started out as a mixture of random extra furniture pieces and thrift store/Craigslist finds.

The playroom was one of the first rooms I wanted to focus on in the lower level. So, we began to think of what we would need to store, asked the kids to come up with some suggestions, and brainstormed ways to make the room functional, not just for the kids, but for the whole family. It was also important to me to come up with a design that works and blends with our home.

When it came time to add in seating, the two chairs weren't cutting it, so they now live in other living areas and we brought in something that would not only fit our three kid's, but the bottoms of all of their play date friends! Sure, we could have gone with a couch or love seat, but the amount of floor space that would have taken away was just too much. Plus, we don't mind them using the space for a little movie time or Wii playing, but we don't want to over encourage lounging, the room is meant for play after all! Going with two Expedit bookcases turned on their sides, we were not only able to add a bunch of storage, we also added oodles of slim seating {and yes, it is sturdy enough for the hubs and I as well}. You can read more about how we assembled the bookcases, cushions and corner support here and here.

So yes, the benches work great for a little lounging and a lot of storage, but the kids really seem to be gravitated to the floor. So, a couple of floor cushions tossed in, has been a huge hit with the boys. They rock on them, pull them up to their play table, and use them in their reading nook. {and between the benches and floor poofs, I still came in far less than the cost of a new sofa, so I was as happy as they are!}

As I mentioned, the room has all sorts of purposes, and since we encourage reading in every room in our home, a craft crate cut in half was a great way to add some book storage in the playroom.

But back to that play table. It is one of my favorite pieces in the space. It started out as an old coffee table rescued from a thrift store, given second life with spray paint on the legs and chalk paint on the top. I love that the kids can use it to play games, whip up a quick colorful masterpiece, build Lego houses and tracks and combine those creations with some chalk drawings!

And call me crazy, but I do let the kids do a little crafting in the playroom. Their craft caddy sits on a shelf and is filled with color pencils, markers and crayons. It lives next to a bin of color books and drawing pads to encourage creative time {all their super messy crafts are concealed upstairs}.

But lets get to the main function of the playroom shall we? The toys!

After the flood, we really evaluated our toy inventory and had a garage sale and then donated another chunk. The kids took part in this, and we talked about why too many toys is not necessarily a good thing. We thought about what toys they played with most, and decided it would be a good idea to focus on expanding the sets they love most {Lincoln Logs, Lego, and wooden train tracks}, and limit the number of random toys taking over their play spaces. The kids have a large and generous extended family, and had acquired more toys than they knew what to do with. We have since let family know that the kids either would like to expand on their few favorites, or to gift to their savings account. This has been extremely helpful in keeping toy clutter limited.

When it came to the Lego situation, between my husband and I {yes, I grew up loving Legos too}, the kids already had a large collection. A few more gifts later and we had a situation on our hands. I decided on the Trofast system to organize them, and the kids thought that organizing by color would be simplest for them to maintain, and also be easier for them to find specific pieces. So that is what we did {and it is still working great for us}.

While designing the playroom, I wanted to keep majority of the toys concealed, since the space is open to our family room and master bedroom. So, when it came to their larger items, the lower half of the entertainment center worked perfectly for keeping things tucked away!

When we last left ya, the playroom was looking a little off to me. I could quite place it, so I gazed at pictures and sat in the room itself, and realized it just needed another color. So many blues and greens, I needed to bring in a little contrast. Red it was. A little red chair, some red accessories, a red pillow, and some colorful art, made the room feel a little more complete.

I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your playroom! I've been working on a playroom for my kids, and have gotten so much inspiration from your space :-) I turned a small 10x10 downstairs bedroom into the playroom, so I also used the expedit benches for seating/storage option! I am considering getting the IKEA Pjas (banana basket). We've used them for toy storage in our living room for the past 1 1/2 years, and they've held up great!

I'm not sure if you mentioned in a previous post. Where did you find the knit pouf?

I love reading your blog every afternoon. What a fun playroom. I am going to ask a nosey question, do you have the television secured so it cannot tip forward? I ask because a child can be killed by a falling television. My friend lost her daughter in a similar accident. You can see more information, including statistics about television tips at meghanshope.org.

i LOVE the finished product! i've been reading and following for so long and now i absolutely adore how it all came together! such an inspiration-as always!! and i promise to only borrow a few ideas! ;)

We turned our office into the playroom last winter too, but I've been wanting to take everything out and reevaluate...they're growing out of those little toddler toys now. I think I could almost transplant your design into our space and be happy!

Jen, it has been fun watching your playroom journey!!! I love your home. With my kids being 10 yrs apart, we haven't had too many toys. We don't have that extended family either. But, I did recently go through my youngest's toys. They are in his closet. http://momma-paparazzi.blogspot.com/2012/04/foto-friday.html It is so much better. I recently sat down and did what you did with the lego sets he has acquired. They were in an under bed storage. I don't have near as much, but I took my que from you and sorted them by color. They are in Sterlite drawered systems. SO much better.. so thank you for the idea.

WOW! I'm using your room as inspiration for our new playroom. I am certain mine won't have as much pizzazz or organization - but I am using Expedit "benches"! Our room is SO.VERY.SMALL that this idea is just perfect! Thanks for sharing such a great space. :)

This is amazing! I have been struggling to figure out how to organize our guestroom-turned-playroom and make it a fun and inviting space but I've been coming up short with ideas. I love what you did with your space and hopefully I can steal a few of your ideas! :)

What a wonderful transformation! So much to be inspired by. In your post you didn't mention the carpet tiles. I think I remember a post a while back where you talked about them, but I would love to be reminded what they are and where you bought them.

I just found your blog and enjoyed this first email. The space is beautiful. It seems like it must have been costly, though. Have you ever published the total cost it ended up being... just curious; maybe it's cheaper than I am thinking. Also, I have a suggestion for your board games if your boxes start getting broken up or the kids want an easier way to access them. You can take the boards and store them in a standing magazine holder (needs to be sturdy... I have a heavy plastic one) and close the boards but label them at the top with a sticker. Use a drawer system (like the ones usually suggested for garages and hardware) and put all the game pieces in a drawer and label the outside of each drawer with the name of the game. When the kids want to play a game, they simply find the right board and pull out the appropriate door for the game pieces. I put the directions in a binder in protective sheets in case they are ever needed. This takes up less space and was easier for the kids to access.

i really love the idea of asking to expand on one particular type of toy, rather that accruing tons of different ones. my kids just got magna-tiles 3 weeks ago and play with them every single day. i'd rather get another set than a totally new type of gadget to keep up with.

Well I have been looking at various blogs for a number of years I have never seen such a wonderful transformation. Well done. You have taken time and used your font of knowledge and bargain hunting eye to create a masterpiece

Can you come to my house! I am craving organization like never before. We've got a just turned 5 year old boy and a 2 year old girl. The house is in major transition. The baby toys are being phased out, remember how big all that stuff is!

You did an amazing job with your playroom and totally inspired me as we attempt to move our playroom to the next phase. I am overwhelmed, what else is new. However you make it look so easy and now I've got some great tips! THANK YOU!

I'm a new fan. Love this site! Keep up the great work! You inspire me to keep at it every time I read a post;) Thanks! xo

You are amazingly creative. Your design concepts always work not to mention the great amount of thought that you put into the organization of each area, while still making it look attractive. Your photo gallery is really going to be an asset when you start your own business :) Thanks for all the ideas and the details with the DIY projects. They are much appreciated.

I've thought all along that you were on the right track with this room, Jen. Finding the right set up and mix of furniture, storage, etc. is an ongoing challenge and you've met it well for your boys at this age. Esp. love the way you took care of Legos.

My favorite picture is when the room is being used!!! The room is GORGEOUS, 'messy' and 'clean' - you are SUCH an inspiration, and I am SO grateful that a wonderfully gifted gal such as yourself is willing to share so much of how you make your home an organized, beautiful place.... I do not have a single organize gene naturally, - but reading you for 2 years now has drastically changed how I think and given me SO many great ideas and inspiration, and as I've been implementing things I am learning, - I am falling back in love with my own home - which is the best feeling in the world!!! Big thankyou hugs!!!

Thanks for sharing! Our house has a small room, about 8x9 feet, with large windows on every wall, that connects to our family room. My husband & I turned it into a small playroom about a year ago, when our infant started to accumulate toys. Now he's almost two, and we have no good toy storage and no seating. I love (and will probably recreate) your bookcase toy storage and seating. It's the only storage idea I've seen that can fit under the windows in our playroom. Thanks again for the great ideas.

I love the playroom-- and I absolutely love the bench storage you've created!

I'm a new mom (Wyatt just turned 1!), so I have a question for you: what are your go-to recommendations for boys?

I'm one of 3 girls, so my mind is completely blank as people ask what WL might want for Christmas. I would love to avoid my home turning into a grave-yard of toys, so I was hoping to take your advice and just create large collections of specific things. I see your boys love legos, lincoln logs, and car/tracks. Are those a great place to start? {Of course, I understand we don't need to buy anything too small at this point, but we could begin some of those now, as the kiddo doesn't seem interested in Baby Einstein anymore!)

Wow what a fantastic playroom! Color scheme is so fresh, crisp and just perfect. What color is on the walls? Where did you purchase the bucket that has create label on it? Thank you for sharing, you are amazingly talented!

The reveal is gorgeous! It seems like one of those rooms that if it gets a little messy, it will still look chic! It's great! The colors and so inspiring for play time, and I love the combo of the benches and floor cushions, perfect for little ones!

Congratulations! I’ve nominated you for the Very Inspiring Blog Award. If you are interested in participating you can pick up your badge icon and rules for participation here: www.recipesforourdailybread.com Blessings, Diane

LOVE your playroom!!! Any chance you've seen or thought of anything similar to your Ikea Expedit benches that would be wide enough for a guest to sleep on (kid guests)? Sorry if I'm pushing my luck by asking! I have a playroom/kid guest room that I would love to turn into something similar to yours!

Jen, I love the toy room makeover you did, I first saw the benches on Pinterest and clicked over to your blog, I was hooked. Because of that one picture I was inspired to create a similar play space for my three grandchildren, the space is currently still in progress. I saw the photo on Friday and had to go to IKEA the next day to purchase the EXPEDIT bookcases and some fabrics for our playroom. The room got painted, all the benches and bookcases were put together and most of the toys went back into the room. Next up are curtains, the bench cushions, more shelving and a wall mural. We are so excited to have an organized dedicated space for the kids to play when they come to visit all thanks to you. Thanks for sharing all your great projects with us.

Love the playroom! We recently moved our office so that we can create a playroom for our son and it's a blank slate right now so loving this inspiration! Just wondering - how big is this room (as in room dimensions)?

unfortunately we don't have an extra room in our home to designate a playroom but there are so many great ideas here that i can use in my livingroom to keep the kids' things organized & pretty. great job!

Hi, just discovered your blog a few weeks ago, and I am hooked! I'm so happy you keep up with comments, too, because I have a burning question. :) In the close-up pic of the crafting area of the entertainment center, I spy 2 large but flat white boxes...on the shelf above the 3 tin pails. I would love to know where you got these--I have seen similar boxes at the Container Store but yours look much bigger than what I have found there. Thanks for the help!

Hi Jen,We are absolutely blow away by your playroom, you are the best! We are having a little trouble figuring out what to do about those rather large plastic toys grandparents tend to buy your kids. We noticed you may have a few big toys in the entertainment center but not all that many. Bumbos, baby entertainment centers (you know the one's they sit in), Baby Einstein walker things, toy pianos, clutter, clutter, clutter! So what to do? Just say "no?" Keep them in the garage or an outside shed or something? Any tips you have would be really (really) helpful...really! Thanks for all you do.

I think when it comes to all the baby gear and larger items, it is really important to analyze how much you really need and use. We just lived with the fact that we would have baby gear out from time to time since we are parents and people come to know that new parents have gear. However, we really only had a swing and a bouncer, and opted not to go overboard with the baby equipment. Same goes with the larger toys. We had a few that would sit out, a few that would be in storage bins in a storage closet, and the rest was donated. I am not a fan of clutter or our kids having an over abundance of toys, so that worked for us. The cost to invest in storage for large toys if they are only going to be around for a few short years, wasn't worth it to us, however, there are great large armoires and storage cabinets that can be used. :)

Hi! I ended up using your Expedit bench idea (LOVE IT!) and even ended up using the same fabric in the pool color instead of green. I loved it so much that i re-upholstered our dining chairs to match. I have a hard time keeping it bright and clean though, so I was wondering if you have any secrets to share. Here is a link to my Pinterest board so you can see some of the photos I took of the space. http://pinterest.com/pin/481392647639138738/

Hello! This is awesome! I was thinking about ordering a few of the shelves from IKEA, but noticed they are particle board. I was wondering, since you have had them over a year, have they held up well? I'm always pretty iffy with particle board furniture and kids! Thanks so much!

I just came across your idea of using the ikea expedit shelves as benches and was so excited as it has solved my problem of how to create a corner bench unit in my kitchen but just found out ikea have stopped doing it. Argh! Unfortunately the series they've replaced it with is not as thick so worried it might not hold the weight as well and they don't do a 5x1. Any ideas of an alternative?? Thank you so much.

Hi - I know this is a play space you created a few years ago now, but I was wondering if you could provide the dimensions of the Expedit bookcase you bought from Ikea for this project. Thanks! (I believe they do not make it anymore). Thanks!

We have a few oversized trucks that our boys store and play with outdoors. However, currently everything they play with indoors is stored within the playroom either in the Expedits or the media center cabinets. Have you looked into the IKEA BESTA cabinets? They are nice and deep and offer adjustable shelving and come in endless sizes which offer a lot of flexibility. Best of luck!

OMG!!! What an amazing playroom! I wish my living room looked like this! I am planning to declutter and clean the garage and to converted it in a nice playroom for my two girls. Thank you for the interesting ideas!

Fantastic! We have the same pouf you pictured and I can't figure out how to clean it. It's gotten so dusty and dirty. I've tried using our hand held vacuum on it, but it does next to nothing. Have you found a good way to get it clean? Thanks!

Hi, I keep coming back to your posts on the kid's play room. You have a really great job on this. Question - do the big kids play on the table or on the floor more often? I keep putting off a big long table purchase but it might work because my son likes to play Lego and do tracks. He plays on the floor a lot but I think it's also because we don't have a long enough a table for his lego projects.

My boys play on both. It really depends on what they are doing and their moods. Because the table was low to the floor, they would sit on the floor and use the floor and table as surface for their different toy setups and projects. :) I also like having a table to offer them surface for coloring and small crafts.

Hi Jen! Your play room is amazing! Just perfection. Thank you so much for sharing :) I shared your playroom as a "friday favorite" today. You are more than welcome to come check out: http://themooninmae.blogspot.com/2016/02/friday-favorites.html

I came by your blog when I was searching for blogs on organization. What you do is marvelous! I am interested in your playroom organization. We have a similar looking entertainment center. I am curious to know how you placed various things in each compartment, especially the top left ones, inside the IKEA boxes with labels. Anything inside boxes. How do you decide what goes into boxes?

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